At a ripe 30 years old, Siddharth Kasliwal, son of Munnu Kasliwal, the late owner of Munnu the Gem Palace, has debuted his own seven-piece collection. The younger Kasliwal's pieces utilize a rare and complex enameling technique that his father only began experimenting with toward the end of his life, called pliqué-a-jour (French for "letting in daylight").

"I wanted my first collection to not only pay homage to my father but also create a collection that would excite my clients and showcase my capability as a designer." The collection honors Munnu, the man behind one of India's most prestigious jewelry houses, who passed away in 2012. Lotus flowers and moonstones, both of which are featured in Siddharth's collection, were among his favorites.

Siddharth and his family members explain their obsession with superior craftsmanship in this video.

Munnu completed just two pliqué-a-jour pieces in his lifetime: An object box and peacock earrings that are currently on display at Moscow's Kremlin Museum. Wanting to continue reviving this somewhat forgotten technique, Siddharth took on the challenge.

Pliqué-a-jour is an enameling technique that requires no backing, so the end result has a stained glass-like appearance. The first step is creating a mold or frame, usually in silver or gold. The frame will serve as “the veins” of the piece (you can see this in the flower petals pictured above), providing structure and shape. Once the frame is soldered together, each section is filled with translucent enamel and placed in an oven. When heated, the enamel reveals a vibrant, transparent color.

"If a piece breaks or if the color becomes too transparent the entire process needs to be repeated from the beginning. This is a labor-intensive form of jewelry making, which allows for zero shortcuts and requires the utmost precision," Siddharth explains. A single piece can take upwards of seven months to design and produce, as the backless enamel is quite fragile and the stone-setting process painstaking.

The complexity associated with pliqué-a-jour begs the question: Why bother? In Siddharth's words: "I would much rather spend four months of my life creating a stunning, unique one-of-a-kind piece than designing 100 identical rings. My father always stressed the importance of challenging myself because it helps expand and encourage my creative process. Few jewelry makers attempt at pliqué-a-jour because the process is so complex, but the rarity and beauty of the pieces makes it worth the challenge."

The seven pieces in this collection are sold by appointment only. Prices are available upon consultation, some going well into the six figure range.